Call to Order

The Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention (IICEI) convened at 10:10 a.m.

Introduction of Council Members

Council members introduced themselves. Peter Niccum and Matthew Gray have accepted different positions and resigned from the council. (Note: Dorelia Rivera Martinez has also taken a new position and has resigned from the council.)

Approval of October 3, 2013 Meeting Report

The October 3, 2013 Meeting Report was approved as written.

Service Delivery Approaches Workgroup

Therese Wehman and Chelsea Guillen reported on the work of the Service Delivery Approaches Workgroup. The group has met once since the last council meeting, and will meet face-to-face in January to finalize parameters of a teaming model. After the discussion of the transition process, the workgroup will formulate its recommendations. The approval of an additional evaluation/assessment tool will be on the March agenda of a Department of Healthcare and Family Services workgroup. With that approval, the tool list will be ready for council review. A graduate student has agreed to provide additional support to the development of workgroup recommendations and an implementation plan. Sandy Schmitz from NCRRC has also been asked to share her expertise regarding system change and implementation planning.

Council members explained the purpose and use of information from Routines Based Intervention (RBI) screening in response to a question regarding its ability to identify social work service needs. It was suggested that EI providers receive additional training about the RBI. Brenda Devito will share with Amy Tarr training information that her CFC office has used.

Telehealth Update

Kathy Schrock reported that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association November conference included 33 sessions on telehealth. She attended four of these sessions, with most of the services described targeting unmet needs for services. Speech therapy was identified as the main service provided via telehealth technology. The group will continue to follow-up with other states.

Amy Tarr explained the limits in Illinois Medicaid rule on the use of telehealth. DHS legal staff also confirmed that "Go To Meetings" is a secure site. Amy will look into whether telehealth can be used for interpretation services.

EI Central Billing Office Update

Tom Hwang provided an update on the EI central billing office (CBO), sharing information about claims processing, family fee processing, insurance claim submissions, and transitioning to ICD-10. The CBO has supported changes to the use of private insurance and new user codes for speech evaluations. Time sensitive decisions and their impact were discussed.

Provider Shortage Area Procedure/CFC #20

Amy Tarr reviewed the specifics of the provider shortage area procedure implemented in CFC 20. The procedure has been used in Christian and Effingham Counties for speech services. Its use with associate-level providers was explained. This has been a pilot activity in conjunction with the I2S workgroup to meet the specific needs in this CFC area. Permission from the Bureau is needed if another CFC office would want to implement a similar procedure.

Cornerstone Data Review

Tahney Fletcher was introduced as the new EI data manager. She provided a list of programs that utilize the Cornerstone system and reviewed the data items that are collected through the system during referral, intake, IFSP development, and transition/case closure. Reporting functions were described. Data requests should be made as FOIA requests. Ann Freiburg reviewed the Case Summary Report for September-November 2013. Council members will receive an update on additions to the Cornerstone database. Council members were invited to share additional data suggestions with bureau staff.

FFY12/SFY13 Annual Performance Report (APR)

Eileen DeRoze reported that the APR is due by February 3, 2014. Data staff are working on completing the required data analysis. Council members and CFC managers will receive a copy of the report for review on January 20, with comments needed by January 27. The February 2014 APR will look much like last year's report, with some streamlining.

State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP) Update

Chelsea Guillen reviewed Indicators 3 (child outcomes) and 4 (family outcomes) that will be submitted in the February 2014 APR. The new emphasis on results driven accountability will rely on looking at changes for children and families, with data from Indicators 3 and 4 central to this process. Illinois has met its targets for the summary statements for child outcomes. Changes to the family survey process and to the survey tool contributed to Illinois not meeting its targets for family outcomes. Strategies to improved survey response, different ways families can complete the survey, and follow-up strategies to improve response rates were discussed. It was suggested that the program could learn from agencies that primary serve populations with low response rates. The development of a sampling plan was discussed to target families who have been in the system for a while. Use of E-mail was also suggested.

Amy Tarr reviewed the schedule for the development of the SSIP. She described recent work with North Central Regional Resource Center (NCRRC) staff on data analysis, with an initial look at outcomes and their relationship to service delays, natural environments, and the impact of training on Early Intervention principles. EI staff will be meeting twice with NCRRC staff before the next council meeting. A representative from NCRRC will attend the next council meeting to share findings, which will be used to identify a focus for improvement. Council members were asked if there are any other data that the council would like considered.

New Staff Members

Amy Tarr announced new staff positions for Jenni Grissom, who has received a promotion to an Exec 1 position; Tahney Fletcher, who is the new statistical research specialist 3; and Pam Giacomini, who is the new advanced accountant.

FY14 Budget

The Early Intervention Program is facing $8 million shortfall for SFY2014. Several reasons behind this shortfall, including a rise to over 20,000 children in the system for the past six months, a higher cost per child, a slight increase in the number of services per child, an increase in the number of evaluations completed per month, a decrease in federal funding, an increase in the number of enrolled children on Medicaid, and consent issues related to use of private insurance. To date, statewide initiatives encouraging more referrals has not resulted in a huge jump in referrals, although are expected to result in additional costs to the state over time. The Bureau is working closely with the budget office to address the shortfall. Council members will be kept informed.

Innovations Zones/Race to the Top

CFC offices have been connected to the six innovation zones. Some CFC offices were already at the table. Three to four innovation zones will include children with disabilities, including children up to age three, in their plans. Leah Pouw from the Governor's Office will attend the next council meeting to discuss innovation zones.

Location/Modality of 2014 Council Meetings

Council members identified date/location for the remaining meetings. A Chicago-area location will be identified for the April 3 meeting. The July 10 meeting will be held via video conference. The October 2 meeting will be held in Springfield at the IL Primary Healthcare Association. Microphones will be used by council members during this meeting to ensure that audience members can hear the discussions.